Patent GB-1338621-A (GB)
Title: Dictation and transcription system
IPC: G06F17/21
Filed: 1971-11-10
Abstract: 1338621 Dictation systems INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP 10 Nov 1971 [8 Dec 1970] 52113/71 Heading H4K In a dictation and transcription system including a plurality of dictation recorders selectively interconnectible with each of a plurality of transcriber stations, an author at a dictation station may break a text to be transcribed into discrete segments, each dictation station having provision to transmit the identity of the station and the number of the segment with each segment, and after each segment has been transcribed into stored digital signals those digital signals are transferred to a storage location selected in accordance with the origin and number of the segment. The system described enables an author to dictate a text to the system in the form of segments (each of one or more sentences) which may be widely separated in time with a separate connection to a recorder for each segment, and after each segment has been transcribed to assemble the resulting digital signals with similar signals from earlier segments to enable the complete text to be reviewed, edited and printed as determined by the author. As shown, the system includes a plurality of dictation stations 11, a lesser plurality of dictation recorders 23, a yet smaller  corresponding plurality to transcriber stations 21. If an author wishes to dictate he actuates the dictate key on his microphone 19 which in a manner not detailed causes the selection of a free recorder 23 and the automatic connection thereto of the author dictation station over separate audio and digital paths. A tone above the author frequency range is transmitted to the recorder to maintain the recorder in active record mode. Various indicators (Fig. 2, not shown) on the dictation station console indicate the availability and work load of the recorders and transcribers. The dictation station transmits digital control signals identifying that station and the segment number which is read out of a counter. This data is recorded in digital form on the tape of the recorder in parallel with the speech text segment. The console has buttons by which the author can transmit instruction words to a transcription controller, and can select any segment already transcribed for display on a cathode-ray tube display 3, can edit that segment by deletion of letters, words &c., re-arrange the format of the display, insert punctuation or any other segment at a location indicated by a cursor 45 as described in Specifications 1,245,058, 1,296,175 and 1,296,156 or can arrange for a word obviously in error to be high-lighted on the cathode-ray tube display of a transcriber. Editing instructions and data entered via keys on the console are fed direct from the author storage switch 25 to the transcription controller and are given priority over operations involving the transcription of new text. Whenever a transcriber indicates to the transcription controller that more work can be allocated, the associated recorder 29 is connected to a recorder 23 via a cross-bar switching network 27 and a segment to be transcribed is transferred rapidly to the recorder 29. Certain author stations may have priority over other author stations in which case the recorders 23 storing segments originating from high priority authors are cleared first. The digital data read from the recorder 23 is not recorded in recorder 29. The digital signals are transmitted to buffer storage in the transcriber console and are returned to the transcription controller 31 with the segment in transcribed digital form after transcription. The digital transcription is entered into the system bulk store 37 in a location determined by the author identity and segment number. Thus for each author a complete text in digital form is coupled. When the author has completed any review or revision of the text, any part of which can be selected for display on the console 11, a print instruction is transmitted causing a printer 41 to print the stored text. Each transcription station 21 has a cathode-ray tube display 35 which displays part of the last segment transcribed. Instead of cathode-ray tube displays each author station could be provided with a printer or the printer 41 could be arranged to print non-edited text. Also the author storage switch 25 could be eliminated, each author being then provided with a separate recorder 23.